Elphaba x Beetlejuice
For starters, I started shipping this crack ship because I watched [this] Universal Studios meet-and-greet clip where Beetlejuice dramatically throws himself onto his back right in front of Elphaba as she's trying to walk past and just absolutely bellows:
"ELPHABAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Meanwhile, Elphaba doesn't even flinch. She just politely steps around him and keeps walking. As she passes, he lifts his head with the most pathetic expression imaginable, like:
"Why didn't you step on me, mommy?" 🥺
The second I watched this, my brain went, "Yep. That's her husband. That's just Beetlejuice screaming his wife's name at an ungodly volume while sprawled on the ground in public."
Just a man enthusiastically embarrassing himself the instant he sees the love of his life.
...
Anywhoodle, I'm still figuring out my AU, but all I've got so far is after Nessa's death and Fiyero's transformation, Elphaba is at her lowest point. Oz believes she's a monster, the Wizard has won the propaganda war, the animals have lost their rights, her best friend turned her back on her, her sister was murdered, and the one person who actually sees her is trapped in a half-life as the Scarecrow. She begins desperately combing through the Grimmerie, looking for anything that could undo what's happened.
Instead, she finds a page that's unlike the other spells; this page isn't written in Ancient Ozian and the bottom of the page is a bizarre warning. But naturally, Elphaba thinks this is some ancient spirit of justice so she performs the ritual… and instead of a benevolent/guardian spirit, she gets Beetlejuice. 😑
Beetlejuice isn't interested in romance at first. He wants a living wife because, in his universe, marriage to a living person gives him far greater freedom in the world of the living and what's better than being married to the most powerful and hottest witch in any dimension? So he proposes a contract:
"I help you clear your name. I expose the Wizard. Avenge your sister. And maybe we even fix your straw boyfriend while we're at it. In return… you marry me."
Elphaba is horrified and she refuses, but unfortunately... the Grimmerie already bound her to negotiate with him. She can't simply banish him until the contract is fulfilled or formally dissolved.
So she's stuck with a ghost-demon who follows her everywhere, constantly trying to sell her on the idea.
Beetlejuice: “Hey, Elpha-babes, I can see you're having a little trouble with your whole love triangle-slash-latent bisexual situation. So I got an idea. Just because we're engaged, it doesn't mean we have to be exclusive... How about we bring Pinkie and the Strawboy into our relationship?”
Elphaba: “No.” 😑
Beetlejuice: “But I can pull up the cuck chair!”
Elphaba: “I've heard enough!”
...
Final thoughts: I also thought this ship works because not only is Beetlejuice a movie, but it has a popular musical adaptation like Wicked. I love Michael Keaton!Beetlejuice, but Alex Brightman!Beetlejuice would be really cute with her too! He'd change colors like a mood ring around her.
Ship name: Elphabeetle
